Had a Glass...and Snacks

We drank up the wine guys, Kenji Hodgson and James Nevison, when they visited Books to Cooks for the celebration of their latest wine guide Had a Glass: Top 100 Wines for 2009 Under $20. While guests sipped a selection of deliciously affordable grapes, Chef Glenys served up a Smoky White Bean Spread, Chermoula Rubbed Prawns, Smoked Trout Mousse and Lamb and Rosemary Sausage.

Smoky White Bean Spread from Chef Glenys Morgan

The degree of smoky flavour in this simple dip depends on how many layers of smoked ingredients are in the mix. Traditionally, the beans would be cooked with a ham hock or bacon, but canned beans need doctoring.

1 cup finely diced onion
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
smoked sea salt
1-28 oz can cannellini, kidney or white beans, drain and reserve the liquid
1 head garlic, roasted
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp minced fresh rosemary

Heat the onion, olive and sugar on high heat, then reduce to medium. Season with a pinch of salt. Cover and reduce the heat; cook until soft and nicely coloured. In the food processor, combine the onions, drained beans, cheese, roasted garlic, paprika and rosemary. Puree the mixture until smooth; add the reserved liquid and pulse. If the puree is too thick, add a little hot water to loosen. Taste for salt and season to taste. Drizzle with olive oil to serve.

Chermoula Rubbed Prawns

Chermoula is a mixture of fresh ingredients, olive oil and spices and the variations are endless. It is used as a dip, a marinade, a dressing or is cooked into a dish as the seasoning.

1 1/2 lb. prawns, shelled and deveined with tails attached
3 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground cumin
1 tsp paprika
1 fresh green chile, finely chopped
handful of chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
salt
lemon wedges to serve

Combine the chermoula ingredients; skewer the prawns if desired or use a grill plate or vegetable tray for cooking. Marinate the prawns for one hour or if desired, prepare up to a day in advance without the lemon juice. Add the lemon juice to the marinade close to the grilling time; this keeps the acid from drying out the prawns. Roast in 425 F oven until pink or grill over a hot fire until pink, basting with the remaining chermoula. Season again with salt and serve hot with lemon wedges.

Smoked Trout Mousse

Smoked trout fillets are availabe at Granville Island. I purchase mine at Seafood City and keep packages frozen for this spread. The cryovac package will thaw in just a few minutes.

1/2 lb. smoked trout (or salmon or lox)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 cup clarified or melted unsalted butter
1/2 cup sour cream
minced fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

In the bowl of the food processor, combine the trout and lemon juice, running the motor until the salmon is broken down and the natural gelatinous quality of the fish is created a glossy paste. Add the clarified butter. When incorporated, add the sour cream and dill. Season with salt and pepper after tasting. Scrape the bowl down and pack into terrines. The pate will seem soft, but the butter and cream will bring it back to a texture of spreadable butter once chilled. Serve with rye bread or croustades.

Lamb and Rosemary Sausage

The sausages are a product of Hills Foods in Port Coquitlam. They provide specialty meat and poultry to chefs and food stores. Similar product available at Oyama Sausage in Granville Island.

Japchae (Glass Noodles with Beef and Vegetables)

When the temperature outside starts to drop, I can't help craving the spicy warm flavours of Korean food. Slow simmered pork bone soups, fiery kimchi stews, flavourful barbecue and toothsome noodle and rice dishes. And not to mention the myriad of pickles and side dishes that tease the palate!

The Korean Table by Taekyung Chung and Debra Samuels is a recent addition to our collection of Asian cookbooks that gives a thorough overview of Korean recipes. The book includes a handy, in-depth glossary of ingredients with English, transliterated Korean and Korean characters which makes it particularly handy when hunting for ingredients at a Korean market.

Japchae (Glass Noodles with Beef and Vegetables) from The Korean Table

1/4 lb. (125 g) sirloin tips or rib eye steak, cut into matchstick strips
5 oz. (150 g) dried Korean vermicelli noodles (about half a package)
1/2 lb. (250 g) spinach
2 Tbsp. canola, safflower or other neutral oil
1 small onion, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and cut into matchstick strips
3 dried shiitake mushrooms, reconstituted in water and cut into matchstick strips
1 Tbsp. dried wood ear mushrooms, reconstituted in water and coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. dark sesame oil plus moe for drizzling
5 Tbsp. Sweet Soy Base Sauce
1 Tbsp. Roasted Sesame Seeds
Fine-grain sea salt or kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste

Marinade:
1 Tbsp. Sweet Soy Base Sauce
1 Tbsp. minced green onion
1 tsp. dark sesame oil

In a small bowl, add the beef and the marinade ingredients. Toss the beef strips until thoroughly coated. Let the beef marinate whle preparing the other ingredients.
Place the dried noodles in a large heatproof mixing bowl. Pour 4 cups of boiling water over the noodles and let soften about 8 minutes. Drain the noodles. Cut the noodles in half with scissors and set aside. If they get sticky just give them a quick rinse with warm water.
Fill a medium saucepan halfway with watr and bring to a boil. Add the spinach and cook for 1 minute. Drain and set aside. [I skip this step and add the spinach when I stir-fry the beef (see below)]
In a large skillet, add 1 Tbsp. of the neutral-flavored oil and place over medium heat. Stir-fry the onion, carrot and mushrooms separately, seasoning each with a pinch of salt. Add additional oil to the skillet as needed. Place each vegetable, when done, into a large serving bowl.
In the same skillet, add the beef and stir-fry for 3 minutes. [Toss in the spinach and stir-fry until wilted]. Add to the serving bowl.
To the skillet, add the 1 Tbsp. sesame oil and the 5 Tbsp. Sweet Soy Base Sauce. Bring to a boil. Add the softened cellophane noodles and mix well. The noodles will become transparent. Turn off the heat.
Add the noodles to the serving bowl along with the cooked vegetables and beef. Add the Roasted Sesame Seeds and a drizzle of sesame oil. Toss until the ingredients are distributed. Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.

Serves 4

Sunday Launches: Chicken and Peasant

The shop was a bustling coop this Sunday when Andrey Durbach and Robert Chaplin launched their new book Delicious Chicken Soup. Andrey, Chef and restaurateur, wrote the unique little book, and Robert Chaplin illustrated its pages; his signature chickens multiplied in over one hundred books of guests eager to get their copy signed by these two talents. With little elbow-room, guests sipped cozy cups of chicken soup that Andrey prepared, a soup admitted by many guests as the best chicken soup they had ever tasted. People of every feather attended this exciting launch, from children to chefs to eaters and readers.

With barely enough time to clear the empty pot of soup from the stove, Mark set the kettle on the burner to boil up some tea for the launch of The Genius of James Barber. Guests sipped the Barbara-Jo's Blend and James' favourite ginger tea. In memory of James, guests enjoyed the flavours of some of his best recipes, including Black Ginger Cake and Almond Pine-Nut Tarts. Christina Burridge, James' wife, offered a few words of thanks and remembrance for the beloved Urban Peasant and all who loved him. Almond Pine-Nut Tarts from The Genius of James Barber: His Best Recipes

1/4 cup jam
12 unbaked 3-inch tart shells

2 eggs

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup ground almonds

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 cup pine nuts

icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread a thin layer of jam on the bottom of each tart shell. Place the eggs, butter, almonds, granulated sugar and vanilla in a food processor and process until smooth. Add the flour and baking powder, and process again briefly. Fill the tarts with the almond mixture, and sprinkle a few pine nuts on top of each one. Bake for about 20 minutes. Let the tarts cool. Sprinkle them with icing sugar before serving.

Autumn Leaves Me With Delicious Memories

A seasonal message from Barbara-jo:

This past Monday, I drove to Seattle for an event with Tom Douglas. The event was a cookbook social—great idea. On Tuesday afternoon, I arrived back at the shop. As I walked through the door, I was overcome with joy. Wreaths decorated the windows, ornamental snowflakes were cascading from the ceiling, Sarah McLachlan's holiday CD was playing and Vicki Gabereau was holding court. The Season has begun.

Not that autumn hasn't been especially delightful. We started off another wonderful season with our reading club. And our social club—with its MEAT theme—has enlightened us all. I was pleased to be invited to the amazing lunch in New York hosted by Daniel Boulud. I watched as Daniel spoke to the New York media of a deep affection for Vancouver and his ensuing project here. As a born and raised Vancouverite, I felt a warm sense of pride.

With help from some of our city's best chefs and restaurants, we promoted the season's best books in fine—and sometimes downright exotic—fashion. Jeffrey Alford visited to promote Beyond the Great Wall with an amazing slide show. And we ate a bug—actually a whole bunch of artfully prepared bugs—with the encouragement of Meeru Dhalwala. Other guest authors included Elizabeth Baird, David Tanis, Aliza Green, Raghavan Iyer, Anna Olson, Warren Geraghty, Jennifer McLagan, Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg, Bonnie Stern, Andrew Carmellini and Gwen Hyman....

We organized a fundraiser for the UBC Farm—a cause that is both near and dear to me. I am so encouraged at how our city is embracing the desire to keep the farm active and evolving.

This past season, I had the privilege of fulfilling a lifelong dream. I have always wanted to pick grapes in Italy. Knowing this, Anthony Nicalo of Farmstead Wines took me to Piedmonte to stay with vinaroon Renato Fennochio. I had my first experience working the harvest with the Fennochio family who are dedicated to growing the finest grapes and producing the best wines.
I enjoyed taking the train from Piedmonte to Paris—a city I hold close to my heart. When I jumped into my taxi at Gare Lyon, I said to myself, "I'm home". As much as I appreciate the country and the people who work the farms and keep us well fed and healthy, I always feel a special longing for Paris.

I came home to a whirlwind of events at the shop. We took a selection of our favourite books to Whistler's annual Cornucopia event. Along with the scheduled guests and authors, I was pleasantly surprised with a wee visit from Michel Roux. Other interesting events? I was invited to a reception to meet Jean-Georges Vongerichten, another celebrated chef who is coming to our city. Richard Jaffray, owner of the Cactus Club, hosted an intimate luncheon, complete with 98 Dom Pérignon Rosé, to introduce new menu items created by Rob Feenie. As I've always said, Rob's food never fails to ensure sweet dreams.

As the New Year approaches, we are surrounded with news of uncertainty and horrendous events. But I am happy—and grateful—just knowing that I keep my bread buttered by doing the work I so enjoy. When I wake in the morning, I cross my fingers and hope that others will be happy with what I do too.

So I now say, CHEERS! Here's to a well RED year. RED is our current mantra meaning we feel the best solution to sustain a healthy world is to READ, EAT and DRINK (responsibly, of course). We just posted our winter events schedule on the website, and have printed schedules available at the shop so you can get well RED this January and February.


Barbara-jo McIntosh

December 4th, 2008